Everything you need to know about Ecuador: news, reviews, in-depth analysis, opinion and more

Ecuador: Nature's Paradise and Land of Cotopaxi Volcano

Ecuador became the Kingdom of Quito around 1000 A.D. by the tribes settled in the northern highlands. Later on Ecuador became part of the Inca Empire in 1463 until Spanish conquered it in 1533. The first revolt against Spainish regime took place in 1809. In 1819, Ecuador joined Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama and the grouping was known as Greater Colombia. Ecuador became independent after the collapse of Greater Colombia in 1830.

Ecuador was invaded by Peru in 1941 and Peru seized large parts of Ecuadorian territory. In 1981 and 1995 war for freedom broke out again. In May 1999, Ecuador and Peru signed a treaty ending the nearly 60-year border dispute.

Ecuador has many scenic places to visit including the Mount Cotopaxi, world's highest active volcano.

Ecuador Profile: Overview of Facts and Figures:

• National Name: Republic of Ecuador
• Capital: Quito
• Total area : 272,045 sq km (105,037 sq miles)
• Population: 13.3 million (UN, 2007)
• Currency: US Dollar
• Languages: Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)
• Ethnicity/ Races: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3%
• Religion: Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%
• GDP (Per Capita): $7,200 (2007 est.)
• Life Expectancy: Male: 73.94 years, Female: 79.84 years (2008 est.)
• Literacy Rate: Male: 92.3%, Female: 89.7% (2001 census)

Geographical Information on Ecuador :

Ecuador is located in Western South America, bordered by the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru. Ecuador has two high and parallel ranges of the Andes crossing the country from north to south. Tall active volcanic peaks like top these tall snow capped peaks. Ecuador has many active volcanoes scattered on its landscape, but Mt Cotopaxi is by far the most famous among them all.

Ecuador experience climatic variation depending upon the altitude of the place. The Pacific coastal area has a tropical climate, with a severe rainy season. The climates in the Andean highlands are temperate and relatively dry. The Amazon basin on the eastern side of the mountains shares the climate of other rain forest zones.

Culture, Cuisine and Tradition Of Ecuador:

The culture of Ecuador is not a single culture but the whole range of culture intermixed together and every culture has its stratified representation of their culture. This diversity on culture provides distinctive feature to Ecuadorians and their society. The fine cultural blend of Spanish, Indian, French and British are reflected through their life style and the way of celebrating their festivals. In spite of large scale intrusion the tribal life of Ecuador is preserved since centuries in remote areas of its rain forests.

Tourist Attraction of Ecuador:

Ecuador is a tourists' paradise. It is a place that has almost everything from nature's decorated landscapes to miles stretched lonely beaches abundant in flora and fauna to delight tourist's perception about nature. Ecuador has hundreds of different activities catering to the tastes of all different types of holidaymakers - from hiking, scuba diving, skiing, climbing, and trekking.

Major Sight-seeing Places in Ecuador include:

•  Galapagos Islands

•  Amazon Tour

•  Avenue of Volcanoes - Banos

•  Quito

• The Devil's nose train